An Alchemic Reaction
by LyliaDusk
Summary: Brotherhood, AU. Edward Elric hasn't been the same since his mother passed when he and his younger brother were young. He isolated himself and became obsessed with one thing-finding a way to make the theory of alchemy real. But how is he supposed to do that when he has to deal with school, a new chemistry teacher, and relationships? Ed/Winry, some Al/May, Ling/Lan Fan, Roy/Riza
1. Chapter 1

A/N:** Yes. So.. *cough* I know this is probably very different, but I really wanted to make this. I REGRET NOTHING!**

**This story has many aspects. There's some Ed/Winry, Ling/Lan Fan, Al/May, and of course, Roy/Riza.**

**PLEASE. Do not read this story if you haven't finished Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood! This is the only warning I'm giving. There are SPOILERS.**

**READ, REVIEW... ENJOOOOOOOY.**

* * *

_Edward Elric POV_

"Hey Al!" I yelled, getting more than annoyed at my younger brother. "Hey! ALPHONSE!"

"Sheesh! Calm down, brother!" Al rolled his eyes as he grabbed his bag. "Since when do you care if we made it on time for school?" He had a point. I wasn't the one to make it to school on time, but Aunt Pinako would kill me if I was late again. But that meant that I had to get Winry and Al ready on time, too. "Where's Winry?"

"Where do you think?" Now I was rolling my eyes. Winry Rockbell was the only girl I knew who could take so little time to get ready... And so much time fixing up an old car to make it brand new.

Al smiled and laughed. "Who knows? Maybe she'll be finished with it by now!"

Aunt Pinako owned a car garage-she was the best auto mechanic in Amistris, and Winry was her beloved protégé. It was all Winry had wanted to do with her life since her parents were murdered by a mass murder under the name of Scar. Since then, she threw herself into her work... And dating.

"I doubt it." I shook my head. "WINRY LET'S GO!"

Suddenly, a wrench flew from the doorway, and I quickly jumped out of the way to avoid being hit. "Shut it, Ed." Winry growled. "I will come when I'm good and-"

"Winry." Aunt Pinako scolded her. "Go to school. Lord knows what will happen to Ed if he doesn't show up on time again."

Winry's eyes flashed, and she strided past me to get her wrench. Winry hadn't liked me for years-we fought all the time, but I learned to deal with it. I rolled his eyes as she grabbed her bag, and muttered, "Ready, _princess?"_

"_Yes._" Winry growled. "I'm _ready."_

We walked out the front door, yelling byes to Pinako as they went. Central High wasn't far from our small home, so we just walked. Winry always stayed far in front, chatting with Al, while I stayed behind. Al never understood what happened to me after our mother passed away, but I never felt like sharing it. I decided on that day that I didn't need anyone but myself. That included eliminating mine and Al's closeness. We hadn't been close for years now. But who needs friends or a girlfriend? I had myself to watch out for.

Idly, I listened to what Al and Winry were chatting so eagerly about.

"-I heard that he and Ms. Hawkeye had a thing at some point in their lives!" Winry was saying.

"Ms. Hawkeye?" Al laughed. "Yeah right! She wouldn't ever have a thing with _anyone!_"

"You haven't even seen Mr. Mustang yet, Al!" Winry insisted. "He's pretty handsome!" Al started to laugh harder. Winry blushed and yelled, "Not that I've been noticing him to date him! I don't date teachers!"

Mr. Mustang? I wondered. Must be a new teacher. I was curious to what he would teach.

As if on cue, Al asked Winry what Mr. Mustang taught.

"I think he teaches chemistry."

Chemistry? What happened to Mrs. Curtis? I demanded myself. Mrs. Curtis was the only teacher who kind of liked me!

Winry continued, "I think Mrs. Curtis and Mr. Curtis left town. Something about a failed pregnancy and so on. Mrs. Curtis wanted to leave." Winry cast a glance at me. "Sucks for you, doesn't it, Pipsqueak?" She gave a boastful laugh.

I glared at her. "Don't call me a pipsqueak. I'm taller than you now, Winry. And maybe this Mustang guy won't be too bad."

Al smiled. "That is true-Mrs. Curtis was the strictest teacher in school!"

Winry rolled her eyes. "Yeah. 'Cause everyone knows Mrs. Curtis has a soft spot for the two of you."

"What can we say?" I grinned. "We're brilliant chemists. We could probably even find a way to make Alchemy work!"

Al laughed and rolled his eyes. "Alchemy could never work, brother! Turning lead into gold... That's just nonsense."

I shrugged. "Anything's possible, Al."

"Anything within reason." Winry rolled her eyes. "Turning lead to gold? Not reasonable."

"It's because they're equivalent." I muttered. "It's like... Equivalent exchange."

"Which is a bunch of nonsense." Winry shot back.

"It's not. It just needs to be... Perfected." I muttered, looking away and out to the land. "It's just like an equation. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We just need to find a way to make the theory real..."

"Which... Won't happen." Winry laughed bitterly. "Good luck with that, Short Stuff."

"Would you shut it Rockbell-"

"HEY!" Al piped up, interrupting me. "Look, there's the school and-"

"HEY GUYS!"

"Oh dear Lord not that guy." I muttered, slapping my hand to my face.

Ling Yao was a transfer from Xing. He thought he was royalty or something, so he always treated us like we were his loyal followers. The guy was nice and all, but he was annoying as anything. And right on cue, a girl popped up beside the Xingese boy. Lan Fan followed Ling everywhere. They were best friends, and Lan Fan was probably the only one that Ling _didn't_ annoy. Ling was the only one who didn't realize that Lan Fan liked him a lot. But we weren't going to tell him that.

"Oh, hey Ling." Al said politely. "Hey, Lan Fan."

Lan Fan gave a small, shy smile, as Ling began to speak again, "Al! Ed! And of course, the lovely Winry!" Ling gave one of his charming smiles. At that comment, Lan Fan's small smile dropped. All I could think was, _That poor lovesick Xingese girl._

"Hey, Ling and Lan Fan." Winry smiled. "Where have you two been this weekend?"

Ling chuckled, "Everywhere with food!"

"Of course." I rolled my eyes. "You didn't use one of my tabs again, did you?"

"Now, Ed..." Ling started, but I cut him off with my glare. "I guess I owe you one, again, don't I?"

"Yes." I answered back bitterly.

"Can't you let him off once, Shortie?" Winry rolled her eyes.

Ling shook his head. "It'll be my honor to pay off Mr. Elric's bill." He gave a playful smile to Winry. Lan Fan began to look even more sad. It made me angry that Ling was blind to her affection.

"Hey, Lan Fan, aren't you in my first period? Ms. Hawkeye's class?" I asked her smoothly.

"Um... I believe so." Lan Fan answered quietly, giving me a questioning look.

"Why don't we go on ahead? The woman will kill me if I'm late again." I tried to make her understand that I was trying to save her from Winry and Ling's flirting.

Ling piped up, "Yeah, go on ahead, Lan Fan! I'll see you in Ms. Ross's class!" He turned back to Winry, who was giving him an extremely flirtatious look.

I looked at Lan Fan and made a gagging noise and gesture, which made her smile a little. Then I motioned for her to come on. Al took that as his leave, too.

"I'm sorry you have to watch that, Lan Fan." Al murmured.

Lan Fan blushed and murmured, "Ling can do what he want. He always has.."

"He's a jerk." I muttered. "He's stupid and he shouldn't flirt in front of his best friend."

"Since when do you care, Ed?" Al asked, giving me a weird look.

It was a good question. I'd seen Ling flirt with every girl in our class, and only felt pity for Lan Fan. I had never done anything-Al always did something. But I had never seen him flirt with Winry. But what would that matter to me? Winry hated my guts.

"I guess it's just time that something be done about it." I muttered.

* * *

Ms. Hawkeye didn't yell at me for being late today, so I took that as me having a pretty good day. But, instead of having my favorite teacher next period, I had to go meet Mr. Mustang.

I wasn't sure if it would go well.

It's not that I'm... Unlikeable, I'm just... Well, I've been told I'm an infuriating shrimp.

Which I'm not.

I sat in my usual desk, near Mrs. Curtis's old desk. It was clean now... Except for a giant pile of papers that looked like they needed to be filled out soon.

I glanced around the room to see if anyone else was as worried about this guy as I was.

Winry and the other girls were chatting excitedly, and the only thing I could pick up from their conversation was "hottie" and "genius" and "manliest man." I fought the urge to roll my eyes again, and I turned my attention to some of the other guys. They all looked either angry or like they wanted to puke. Then, the door opened.

A tall man with dark hair entered the room. It was clear from his first step inside the classroom that he demanded every ounce of respect we could muster. But I could see now why the girls began swooning from his first step, also.

He strode to the chalkboard and quickly wrote "Mr. Roy Mustang" on it. Then, he spoke:

"Hello. I'm Mr. Mustang, your new chemistry teacher. I will be taking over for Mrs. Curtis in her absence." His articulation was exact and precise, and you could tell every part of him was a well-oiled machine.

Except the mess of papers on his desk.

I kept staring at him, wondering if he would live up to Mrs. Curtis's reign over the chemistry classroom.

"We'll pick up exactly from where Mrs. Curtis left off-who is Edward Elric?" Mr. Mustang's gaze floated idly around the class. "She said that he would be able to tell me anything I needed about this class."

I lifted my hand.

Mr. Mustang's eyes drifted toward me. "So this is the famous Edward Elric all the teachers keep warning me about... Mrs. Curtis seemed to have quite a liking for you."

"I like chemistry."

"But not anything else..." Mr. Mustang shook his head. "I've heard a lot about you from Ms. Hawkeye. She's not too fond of you."

"No, she isn't." I muttered, shaking my head. "I'm late to her class often. I don't really need English class, much."

Mr. Mustang gazed at me, then looked at the rest of the class. They were whispering; they probably wanted to know everything about Ms. Hawkeye and Mr. Mustang's relationship, if it was there. "Let's begin." He didn't look at me again.

I could tell this would be a long class.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So. Chapter two.**

**I REGRET NOTHING!**

**Read, review, and ENJOY.**

* * *

_Edward Elric POV_

Mr. Mustang hated my guts.

And I didn't even do anything to him.

Needless to say, lunch was a relief.

I picked up my tray and carried it over to a table where Ling and Lan Fan were grinning and laughing, and Al had a look of stone. They were more than likely talking about May Chang.

May Chang was another transfer from Xing, but the Changs and the Yaos have a huge family feud. Therefore, May and Ling hated each other with a passion. And since Ling was Lan Fan's best friend, she hated May as well. Yet, that didn't stop Al from showing a little affection to her. More so than he's ever shown in a girl that I've noticed. And May definitely had a huge crush on him-at first it was on me, but she soon realized that I wasn't going to date anyone. So she switched to my brother.

She also had this weird cat that looked like a panda that she called Shao May.

"-She isn't that bad." Al was saying.

"Al, have you _seen_ her cat?" Ling demanded, a grin playing on his face.

Al smiled a little bit. "Isn't it adorable?"

Lan Fan coughed, trying to cover her laugh. Ling was less discreet. He just burst out laughing, spitting his water all over the table. I made a face, and I wiped the table off before setting my tray down. Al's smile had disappeared, and he yelled, "It is cute!"

"Yeah, because a cat that looks like a mutant panda with a growth disorder is 'cute.'" Ling laughed, swiftly moving away from Al's punch. Ling was always the fastest in our grade, and Lan Fan and May were always tied right behind him.

"Ling-" Al began, his face twisting with anger.

"HEY ED!" Ling ignored Al completely, and he grinned at me. He was eyeing my food.

"Absolutely not, Ling."

"Aw, come on, Ed."

"I haven't eaten yet."

"OH! THE PAIN!" Ling cried, throwing his hand to his head. "THE HUNGER PAINS!" He collapsed to the ground, pretending to faint. I rolled my eyes, and Lan Fan giggled.

"It's not working, Ling." I muttered. I glared at the milk on my tray; why did I pick that up, again?

"You won't grow if you don't drink that milk."

And of course, the short jokes only came from one person.

Winry.

She plopped down beside Al, which I thought was strange. Didn't she already have a new boyfriend this week? Why wasn't she sitting with him?

"I hate milk." I continued to glare at it.

Winry rolled her eyes. "Good luck sprouting, Sapling."

I ignored her comment and began to eat my food. Ling was still lying on the ground, but his eye was cracked open. He was still staring at my food.

Lan Fan tugged him up to the table, and she handed him her apple slices. He tipped his pretend hat at her and began to heartily eat the fruit. At least now he would stop staring at mine for a while.

Al was the first to speak. "Where's that guy, Win?"

Winry shrugged. "I don't have to hang out with him all the time, Al."

"Well, you are dating."

"And it'll be over in a week." I muttered. Ling started laughing, and Lan Fan was covering her mouth a little. Winry glared at me, but something caught her attention before her snide remark left her mouth.

"Is that Mr. Mustang and... _Ms. Hawkeye?_"

We turned to look. Sure enough, the new, handsome chemistry teacher was walking and laughing with Ms. Hawkeye. Ms. Hawkeye was a strict teacher, but she wasn't bad looking, either. She had blonde hair that swept over her eyes like a hawk's wing, and she wore her long hair back in a ponytail that looked like a hawk's tail. And she was actually _smiling_ and _laughing_.

"I didn't know Ms. Hawkeye could smile like that..." Lan Fan murmured.

"Maybe she has a hidden sense of humor!" Ling grinned.

"I doubt it." Winry shook her head.

Al pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Old friends?"

"And some how ending up working together?" Winry demanded. "How would that work?"

"People grow up together and run into each other." I muttered. "It happens."

Winry gave me a weird look, and turned her attention back to Mr. Mustang and Ms. Hawkeye. I could pick up a little bit of their conversation.

"-Good to see you, Riza." Mr. Mustang was saying quietly, giving Ms. Hawkeye a flirtatious smile.

"You haven't changed, Roy." Ms. Hawkeye smiled back. "It's been years. What made you return to Central?"

"East City doesn't have much." Mr. Mustang sighed. "There's not much to teach. So I decided Central would be a better choice."

"You always were one for the city and the action." Ms. Hawkeye gave him another small smile. I decided Ms. Hawkeye and Mr. Mustang definitely knew each other for a while-probably since they were young.

Mr. Mustang gave her a flirtatious grin. "How else am I supposed to work up the chain of the school? I _need_ action!"

"But you're a great chemistry teacher-isn't your favorite part the theory of alchemy?"

What? I thought. No teacher even glanced at alchemy that much... Why would Mr. Mustang be into it?

"Yes. It's only a theory, but I do believe there's a way to make alchemy exist." Mr. Mustang was firm, as if daring Ms. Hawkeye to challenge him.

She didn't.

They began to walk away, probably towards the teacher's lounge, and I lost my ability to understand their conversation. Apparently the rest of the group did too, because Winry immediately began gushing about how Mr. Mustang and Ms. Hawkeye would make an adorable couple.

Ling joked about how Ms. Hawkeye might stop yelling and being a "tough momma."

Lan Fan just giggled at Ling's jokes.

Al said just how happy he was for them.

I just stared at them with a blank expression.

Alchemy.

All things could be done through it.

Lead could be changed to gold.

There...

There would probably even be a way to bring back the dead.

There would be a way to bring back my mother. Trisha Elric.

I wouldn't have to worry.

But how could it be made real?

* * *

I didn't even bother with my classes after lunch.

Sure, Pinako would be seriously angry, but I needed to figure all this out.

My mother.

There could be a chance!

And if there was any place that had the notes about alchemy, I knew where it was.

My father's office in our old home.

I grimaced at the thought.

My father, Van Hohenhiem, left my mother, Al, and I when I was only a child. He promised my mother he'd come back to her.

He never did.

I started to wonder why my mother got sick in the first place. And I finally realized a few years ago, it was because he wasn't returning. _That prick__, _I growled in my head. She died, and Hohenhiem didn't even come to the funeral.

Hohenhiem was a genius in chemistry. Aunt Pinako tells me it's where I got my talent for it.

I sneered every time someone mentioned it.

Guess what his favorite part of chemistry was?

The theory of alchemy.

But I have my own reasons for choosing to follow through with his work.

Mom.

So I ran.

* * *

_Alphonse Elric POV_

"Hey Al!"

Winry ran to catch up to me. She was smiling, and tugging some boy around with her. I smiled back politely, feeling sorry for that poor kid.

"Hey Al! Where's Ed? I would like to go home now." Winry smiled.

I shrugged. "I haven't seen him since lunch. He took off after that-I think he's skipping."

Winry grimaced. "Git. He could've told us."

I just shook my head. "That isn't how he works, remember?"

"Why was he in such a rush anyways?"

I pondered over Winry's question. I hadn't a clue what my brother was thinking. Ever since Mom passed... He had never been the same. "I dunno, Win. He doesn't tell me anything anymore."

"Did he ever?"

"Winry." I looked at her sternly. "You know as well as I do that you and Ed used to be friends when we were little."

"So?" Winry looked defiantly at me.

"So you know he used to be different before Mom died."

"He's just burying himself with his grief!" Winry said through gritted teeth. "I didn't do that... I lost both of my parents..."

"We lost both of our parents, too.."

"MINE DIED, AL!" Winry growled. "You're Dad just left you! He's still alive! He could still come back for you!"

I looked at her, doubtfully. "I hate to be like Ed... But he hasn't come back for us, yet, Winry. Why would he?"

"Because he's still your father."

I frowned. Yes, he was my father. I wasn't like Ed-I wasn't angry at him, but I wasn't sure how I felt about about him returning to my life. I was alright without him.

I just wish Ed would still treat me like he used to.

Like his brother.

"Let's go home, Winry." I mumbled.

"What about May?" Winry inquired, giving me a sly smile. "Isn't that who you were waiting for?"

"No." Actually, I was waiting for May. But now, I wasn't really into it. I didn't want her to think it was her fault, though. "Let's just go."

Winry looked worried about me. "Alright, Al. Let's go."

* * *

**I hope that everyone is loving this fanfiction. PLEASE REVIEW! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi. So. I'm glad everyone's liking it so far.**

**Still no regrets. :)**

**Read, PLEASE REVIEW, and enjoy!**

* * *

_Edward Elric_ _POV_**  
**

No.

No. No. No. No!

It wasn't matching up.

None of these equations would ever work!

"I thought you were supposed to be a chemistry genius!" I screamed at the heavens, wishing that Hohemheim could hear me. "I _still _can't rely on you for _anything!_"

I was furious.

But who in the world would be able to help me?

Mr. Mustang? No. He didn't like me because of Ms. Hawkeye's opinions. There was no way I would talk to him. Hohemheim? Not a chance. Al?

There was a possibility.

Al wasn't a chemistry genius like me, but he loved chemistry as much as I did. He might question my motives for wanting to make alchemy real, but Al would probably cherish the chance to fix us.

And as much as I didn't want to be close to anyone...

I figured Al should be the one I should trust.

* * *

I ran to Aunt Pinako's home as fast as I could.

"Hey! Al!" I yelled as I slammed the front door. I threw my stuff on the ground beside it and ran up stairs. "Alphonse!"

Al poked his head out from his room, his eyebrows furring together. "Brother?"

"I need your help." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"You never need anyone's help." Al stared at me. "What?"

"I'm working on an experiment." I said, and then I cursed myself. I ran downstairs to grab Hohenheim's notes from my bag, and I sprinted back up the stairs. Then I pushed Al back into his room. "I want to figure out a way to make alchemy work."

Al shook his head. "Brother, it won't ever work. There's nothing that could ever make it work."

"But.. What if we found something to instate this principle that Hohenheim was talking about?" I demanded. "The equivalent exchange?"

Al looked at me, trying to see if I was serious.

"What could make things equal another?" I demanded again.

Al looked at me strangely. "How would you determine what's equal to another?"

"He said in his notes that alchemy is the science of knowing how to deconstruct matter and then reconstruct it to make something else." I explained, pointing at the notes and showing him. "So you'd have to memorize everything's structure down to the last molecule..."

"And have something to make the equation work." Al said, nodding. "Something to jump start the reaction and make it happen, so that way you can deconstruct and reconstruct the matter."

I nodded. "That's what he's missing. Everything else could work... But there's nothing to show that you could start the reaction in the first place."

Al thought for a moment. Then he gave me another strange look. "Why did you become so interested in making it work, Brother?"

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "I've always liked alchemy. And if Mr. Mustang says there could be a way to make it work... Then why shouldn't I figure it out?"

"Why include me?"

I thought about his question. Then I gave the one answer I knew was true:

"You're my brother."

"That's never meant anything since Mom died." Al said, getting a harsher tone.

I faltered. It was true, I broke off all my relationships. I didn't... I didn't want to be hurt like that again. But I thought I always gave something to Al because he was my brother.

I guess I had a lot to learn.

So I just hung my head. "I'm sorry, Al."

Al was still giving me an angry look, but it softened a little bit. "I guess that'll do for right now." he murmured, then he shook his head. "What would help to start the reaction?"

"You have to know about the matter... But we need energy.."

"Natural energy?" Al suggested. "Natural energy's everywhere."

"But what kind of natural energy?" I questioned.

"I dunno. Tectonic?" Al shrugged. "Taking energy from the Earth?"

"But then there's the question of how to harness it."

Al stared at the notes for a moment. "Dad said-"

"He isn't our father." I glared at the ground.

Al rolled his eyes. "_Hohenheim_ said that a circle shows the flow of power. He kept drawing circles everywhere... What are all these... Equations?"

I looked at what Al was pointing to. On the sides of the paper, there were symbols scribbled. I had never seen anything like them before, and I hadn't noticed them the first time I looked at the notes. "Those aren't equations. They're symbols."

"What are they?" Al asked, looking very interested now.

"I've no idea, Al." I shook my head. "Who do you think would know?"

"Mr. Mustang?"

"I'd rather not ask him." I mumbled.

"He's our best bet, Brother."

"Fine." I sighed. "We'll ask him tomorrow. But you have to be with me."

"I can live with that." Al nodded.

"Okay." I said. I stood, feeling a little awkward now. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah. Guess so." Al nodded again. "Night, Brother."

"Night, Al." I mumbled, moving to open the door.

"Brother?"

"Yeah, Al?"

"Thanks." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I smiled a little, but I didn't turn around as I waved my hand and shut the door.

Maybe this would be a good idea after all.

* * *

I began to walk back to my room, but a figure was waiting at my door.

And I definitely knew those glaring eyes.

"What do you want, Winry?" I groaned, stopping short of my room.

"What are you playing at?" she demanded, giving me her death glare that was specifically designed for me.

"Um.." I thought a moment. "I'm trying to figure out chemistry?"

"Stop lying. You've never needed help with chemistry." Winry growled, pointing her wrench at me. "You can't just start treating Al like nothing ever happened, like you didn't just abandon him-"

"I'm not." I cut her off short of her rant.

"Then what-"

"I'm getting him to help me with some of Hohenheim's notes. Is that alright with you?" I rolled my eyes.

Winry just glared at me.

"You know, I'm not such a bad guy."

"I haven't seen anything to make me believe that."

I sighed, exasperated. "Maybe I'm trying to fix things between me and Al? Maybe Al wants me to act like we're brothers again?" I gave her a hard look. "I don't have to have your permission with anything in my life."

"It's not just your life!" Winry snarled. "It's Al's, too!"

"He seemed fine-"

"Of course he seemed fine! He's too nice to tell you otherwise!"

"No, he asked me-rather bluntly, I might add-why I came to him, and I said-"

"I don't care!" Winry snarled again. "You can't just... You can't hurt him anymore! I won't let you!"

"Why do you care?"

"He's like my brother too-"

"And he actually _is _my brother."

Winry glared at me. "You've never treated him that way."

"And maybe I've changed!" I yelled at her. "People change, Winry."

Winry just stared at me. "It's a little late to-"

"Winry."

Al had opened his door and poked his head out. He looked tired. "Winry, Ed came and asked me for help. I said I would help him. I don't need you to watch out for me all the time."

"But Al-"

"Seriously. It's fine." Al insisted. "He's my brother, Winry. And if he decides he wants to fix our bond, then let him. You don't have to like it. But I can watch out for myself."

Winry just stared at him. Then she stuck out her chin. "Fine. Don't come crying to me when he turns his back on you." She stormed off, not looking back at either one of us.

I glanced at Al, trying to judge his expression. I couldn't-it was completely masked. "Al?"

"Brother?"

"Do you know why Winry hates me so much?"

Al shook his head. "When you left me, you left her too, Ed." Then he shut his door.

I had almost forgotten.

Winry, Al, and I were all friends when we were younger. Like really young. We played together and explored and got into trouble all the time.

But when I started to distance myself from Al, Winry started getting angry at me.

Al and Winry stopped playing games with me.

And since then, Winry gets mad at me for everything and calls me short everyday.

She hates me because she was trying to protect Al.

She's trying to give Al someone to love.

She's trying to give herself someone she can protect.

Like she couldn't protect her parents from Scar.

* * *

During the civil war in Ishval, Winry's parents went to act as surgeons. Many people we've met have told Winry what selfless people her parents were. Apparently, they not only healed every soldier from Amistress, but also healed all the Ishvallans.

Winry's proud of them.

But, while they were healing some Ishvallans, the mass murderer Scar made his first appearance.

They were helping him.

But he got up, and in a rage he murdered them and left.

They didn't even have a chance to be saved.

After then, Scar went on a murderous rampage. He wanted to avenge his people, so he began to kill all the men and women responsible for the war.

He killed at least twenty people before they caught him.

Scar now lives in a prison cell, awaiting the day when he's supposed to face the death penalty.

But that doesn't change the fact that Winry was crushed when she received a letter saying that her parents died.

And then, this year, that they finally found the man who actually killed them.

Now, apparently the only person she feels she can protect is Al.

From me.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am glad those of you who are leaving reviews are enjoying this. **

**Thank you for reviewing.**

**I'm working on a class this summer that finishes on the 13th. After then, I promise I'll try and post more!**

**So read, REVIEW PEOPLE, and enjoy. **

* * *

_Edward Elric_

"Ed! Wake up!"

I groaned, slapping at the arms that were attempting to shake me awake. "No." I tugged my pillow over my face.

"Ed." I vaguely recognized that the voice was Al's. "We have school! Remember, we're supposed to ask Mr. Mustang-why did you leave the notes _everywhere?"_

"I was studying them." I mumbled, muffled by the pillow. "I thought maybe he put them in code and I could rearrange them to find something."

"Well, did you?"

"Not in the slightest!" I grinned from under my pillow.

Al pulled the pillow from my head and tugged me off of the bed, throwing me to the ground. I didn't realize how much stronger Al was than me. "And that's why we're going to _school._"

I groaned, and Al set me down by my closet. "Get ready quickly. Winry's already waiting downstairs." With that, he walked out of my room and shut my door.

I glanced around my closet, then decided to put on a black t-shirt and my long red coat. Quickly, I pulled my long hair back in a ponytail, since I wouldn't have time to braid it this morning. I finished my routine by brushing my teeth and doing other sanitary things. Then, with a small nod, I tramped down the stairs.

"It's about time." Winry muttered, standing up and grabbing her bag off the floor. "Have to go in earlier for you, and what do you do? Wake up late."

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "I'm just awesome that way."

Al stifled a chuckle, and he grabbed his bag. "C'mon, guys. Let's go."

* * *

We made it to school fifteen minutes before the bell would ring. I looked at Al, and murmured, "We need to head to Mr. Mustang's room."

Al nodded, and smiled at Winry. "See ya at lunch, Win!"

I'm not sure if Winry actually heard him, because she was already running over to a group of guys. I rolled my eyes. Of course that would be what she did.

I looked over at Al, and I saw him roll his eyes, too. "I didn't think you found that annoying." I commented lightly.

"Please." Al muttered. "She runs off with a new guy every time I try to talk with her."

"Do you understand it?"

"Not a chance." Al shook his head. "Let's just go."

We walked to Mr. Mustang's room in silence. Al knocked on his door, then cracked it open. "Mr. Mustang?"

"Ah, Alphonse." I heard Mr. Mustang's voice from the room. "What is it? I didn't think you arrived to school on time usually."

"Well, my brother and I had a question for you." Al explained politely. "It's about the theory of alchemy."

There was a pause. "No one has ever taken a liking to alchemy." Mr. Mustang sounded surprised. "But.. Come in."

Al smiled and opened the door, and we both walked in. Mr. Mustang's gaze became darker when he saw me. "I didn't realize Edward was your brother."

"Uh.." Al looked slightly embarrassed. "Yes, sir. He's brilliant in chemistry."

"So Mrs. Curtis said in her notes."

I rolled my eyes. He _did_ know that Mrs. Curtis liked me. "Our... Father was a chemist. He studied alchemy-he wanted to make it real." I began to explain. "I was looking at his notes, and I believe there's a way to make it real."

"I see." Mr. Mustang was a little curt. "I don't believe there's much I can do..."

"Mr. Mustang," Al interrupted him, "we just wanted you to see these runes. We can't figure out what they are, and we thought you would know, since you're the chemistry teacher and all, and we overheard you talking with Ms. Hawkeye and you said you were interested in alchemy."

Mr. Mustang gave us and even look, then he nodded. I handed him the notes. "I'll look at them. It might take me a while, but I'll do it."

"Thank you, Mr. Mustang!" Al grinned.

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Mustang." I murmured.

Mr. Mustang just nodded, looking a little distracted now. I looked at Al, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing. It was time to take our leave.

* * *

We exited Mr. Mustang's room quietly. Al gave me a giant grin. "Did you see the look in his eye?"

"The look that said 'I don't want to do anything for that Edward kid?'"

"No," Al laughed, "he seemed really interested, Ed! He'll figure something out, I just know it!"

I looked at him. "You really think we'll do this?"

Al nodded with enthusiasm.

I smiled a little at him. "Then I guess we'll have to make sure we work extra hard on this!"

Al grinned, but his grin quickly turned into a frown. I wondered what I said to make him frown, but then I saw his gaze was resting on something behind me. I turned to see what he was looking at.

_Of course it was them, _I scowled.

The Homunculi.

The Homunculi was a gang in Central High. I'm not sure if anyone actually knew their real names, but they all had nicknames that everyone in the school knew, even if you were new.

First, there was Lust.

Lust was everything a guy could want in a girl. Beautiful flowing black hair, gleaming violet eyes (whether they were real or not, we weren't sure), and a pretty good-looking body. The only thing was she never stayed with one guy-she always used everyone. She had some nasty backstabbing claws for girls, too.

Then, there was Envy.

Envy was the best liar I had ever seen. It was as if he could be any person he wanted to in the world. He had spikey, dark hair and mischievous violet eyes. He was always trying to turn people against each other just for fun, too. And he always called me "The Pipsqueak."

Next, there was Pride.

Pride was a small, quiet boy on the outside. But I was fairly certain he was the creepiest kid I had ever met. He was the youngest member of the Homunculi, but he was able to hold himself high. I was fairly certain he could be the toughest one out of all of them.

Sloth was a giant. That was the only way to describe him. Our gym teacher, Mr. Armstrong, was one of the most buff men I had ever seen. But when put near Sloth, he was completely dwarfed. He was also the _dumbest_ person I had ever met. I wasn't even sure if he actually had a brain.

If Sloth was the guy with the most muscles, Gluttony was definitely the one with the most fat.

He was _huge._

I had never seen anyone eat as much as Gluttony. I was also fairly certain I had seen him trying to eat part of the lunch table one day, until Lust chided him and told him to go get more food. If he couldn't have any food, he would pout and suck on his chubby index finger. I assumed it was to make up for not being able to chew on anything.

Finally, there was their leader. Greed.

Greed was Ling's twin brother. Evil twin brother, but his twin brother. Ling hated him so much that he wouldn't even tell us his real name. He flirted even more than Ling did with girls, and he said that his first rule was he would never fight a girl, because he wasn't _that_ type of guy. His second rule was he never lied, which I was surprised that he always followed up with. He was rather blunt because of it. He always wanted everything, though. He had a whole rant about it when he first introduces himself to people, and it got rather lengthy about _how _much greed he had. Hence the name.

Everyone in our school despised them, but there was no way to really stop their scheming and planning. Or, there wasn't a way _yet._

Not that I had a plan or anything. I just want to see someone bring them down.

My money was on Ling beating the crud out of his brother, since Ling was quick and light on his feet while Greed was tough and had a lot of stamina.

But I knew Ling wouldn't ever try anything at school. He would rather pretend his brother doesn't exist.

"Well, well." Greed grinned at us. "The Elric brothers!"

"Greed." Al muttered, not giving him any other acknowledgement.

Envy grinned at us, his eyes gleaming with mischief. I could swear that his teeth were more than slightly pointy. "The Pipsqueak and little Aliphonse!"

"So, Elrics, have you seen my brother around?" Greed asked casually.

"No." I muttered darkly. "It's not like he would talk with you, anyways, Greed."

Greed heaved a fake sigh. "It's true! Ling is completely ashamed of-"

"For good reason!" Ling's yell echoed in the hallway. He was glaring fiercely at his brother, and Lan Fan was standing behind him.

"Bro, I told you... You shouldn't keep hiding that cutie away-" Greed began, grinning at Lan Fan.

"Don't you talk about her that way, Greed." Ling growled. "She's better than you." I saw Lan Fan blush a little behind him, which made Greed erupt into laughter.

Pride laughed his little, creepy laugh. "The Homunculi are better than _normal_ humans." Envy grinned proudly beside him.

Lust rolled her eyes. "Then why do we even bother associating with them?" She sounded bored. She was probably looking forward to which new guy she could lure into her claws.

"I just want some food..." Gluttony moaned, and Lust shook her head.

"I guess you're right, Lust." Greed grinned at us one last time before turning and walking off in another direction. His pack followed him quickly, except Sloth, who scratched his head in a confused manner before finally understanding.

Ling's fiery glare followed his twin brother until he disappeared. "I hate that guy."

Lan Fan shook her head. "I don't understand why he acts that way..."

"Because he's a _homunculus." _I shook my head. "He thinks because he's in the gang he's better than everyone in the school."

Ling looked like he wanted to spit. "It's disgusting. And the way he treats girls... He shouldn't even be able to _look _at Lan Fan that way." Lan Fan blushed again, and Al and I smiled a little.

"Someone's awfully protective." Al laughed quietly.

"She's my best friend." Ling huffed. "She deserves better." At that, Lan Fan's face fell a little. I knew that wasn't the only reason he was so protective of her, though. With a glance at Al, I knew he knew, too.

"Let's just get to class." I said, shrugging. "Can't do anything about it until someone figures out a way to dethrone them."

We said our goodbyes and parted ways quickly, hurrying to our first class.

Throughout the rest of school, the Homunculi never crossed my brain.

The only thing I could think of was whether Mr. Mustang would be able to help me and Al.

Whether he would prove that alchemy could be done.

Whether there was a way to bring my mother back.

* * *

**Okay, just to clarify. **

**I know that Pride is technically the oldest homunculi, I promise. **

**But I was going off of looks, and how he was supposed to look the youngest. **

**Because I mean, come on... I thought that would make more sense...**

**So don't kill me please. And thank you! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: ...**

**So...**

**Here we are...**

**Another chapter...**

**Please read it...**

**And review it... And maybe love it...**

**BUT ENJOY IT. :)**

* * *

_Edward Elric POV_

Mr. Mustang still hasn't said anything to me or Al.

It's been over a week.

I saw the look in his eye when we left! He wanted to figure out those runes as much as we wanted to!

Why was it taking so long?

"He'll figure it out, brother." Al said, as if he could read my thoughts now. He smiled at me. "He might just be hanging out with Ms. Hawkeye all the time!"

I looked at him, but I couldn't help cracking a smile.

This is what I missed, I finally figured out. Having a real brother.

Having someone to talk to.

It was nice.

Of course, Winry still glared at me every time she saw me talking to Al.

I'm really not that much of a jerk, I promise. I wanted to tell her that, but I couldn't. Not with the way I acted over the years. I kind of was that much of a jerk. But couldn't I get some credit for trying to fix everything?

Nope, not at all.

There was a loud bang, followed by Winry cursing. I glanced over my shoulder at the garage. Al looked over as well, but I waved my hand at him. Maybe this would be my chance to convince Winry I wasn't a bad guy.

I stood up, leaving Al to his homework. I walked out to the garage and poked my head through the door. Winry was tenderly holding her right hand, and her tool box was on the ground. The tools were scattered everywhere. I assumed that it fell on her hand while she was working on the car.

I walked in, and Winry's head lurched around to glare at me. I ignored her as I pulled up a stool beside her. "What do you want?" she growled.

I ignored that, too. "Can you move your hand?"

She kept her glare, but eventually she gave me a curt nod. "Yes."

"It still probably needs to be bandaged up." I murmured, looking around the garage. Aunt Pinako kept a first aid kit beside her tool box, so I walked over to grab it. I started pulling out the bandages as I walked back to sit beside Winry. I held out my hand for her's.

She just glared at me again. "I can do it myself-"

"No you can't." I rolled my eyes. "Your right hand is your dominate hand. There's no way you would be able to wrap the bandages right with your left."

Winry shot and angry, defiant look at me, before she sighed and held out her hand. "What do you care, anyway?"

"You're hurt." I murmured, beginning to wrap a bandage around her hand. "I'm not that much of a jerk, you know. I am changing a little to try and make things better."

Winry stared at me. Her glare had dropped, and now I could see curiosity only in her eyes. "Why do you care now? Al had years without a brother... Why now?"

I shrugged. "Sometimes you just realize that you can't do everything on your own."

Winry stared blankly at me. "_You_ realized _that?_"

I shrugged again. "I'm not such a bad person, Winry." I tied the bandage off, and stood up. "Next time you might want to push that back farther on the shelf." I said, pointing my nose at the tool box.

Winry was still staring at me. Now I was beginning to question myself...

Why did I care so much if Winry liked me or not?

"Uh.." I stammered, "Do you want some help picking up your tools? I might not know where they go, but I could try..."

Winry glanced at me, and waved me off. "No. I can do that myself."

"Alright." I felt a little awkward now. I started to move towards the door.

"Hey Pipsqueak!"

I sighed. "Yeah, Winry?" I turned to look at her.

She wasn't glaring at me.

She was actually _smiling _at me.

"Thanks." She smiled at me again before going back to arranging her tools.

Now it was my turn to smile. But I couldn't understand why I wanted to.

* * *

The next day, it was like nothing happened between Winry and me.

I was peeved, to say the least.

She _smiled _at me!

Why was she back to glaring at me?

Why did I _care?_!

And why did my stomach have butterflies in it?

I didn't like this feeling. I knew where it led to.

I may be open to having friends, but I wasn't open to _liking_ someone!

I caught her arm after Al had walked out the door. "What the heck's the matter with you?" I demanded. "I thought we were better now!"

Winry looked at me. "You bandaged my arm. I said thanks. I haven't seen any other progress than that."

"I offered to help fix your tool box!"

Winry shrugged. Then she gave me a sugary sweet smile. "You'll have to try harder if you want my forgiveness, Shorts." She pulled her arm from my grip and walked out the door.

I hated girls.

They made no sense what-so-ever.

* * *

When I asked Mr. Mustang about the notes, he said he still was trying to crack them, and he dismissed me to go back to my seat.

Thus, ruining my day.

I didn't even look forward to lunch.

I ignored Winry as I took my seat beside Al and across from Ling, who was attempting to flirt with Winry again. Although, today she seemed put out by it.

How out of character.

"So, Winry-" Ling was beginning, giving her a charming smile.

"Ling." Winry rolled her eyes. "Stop flirting with me. Everyone realizes you like Lan Fan. So just deal with it and _ask her out._" She sounded extremely cranky.

Ling just stared at her with his mouth open, and Lan Fan's usual blush became blood red. Even Al and I stared at her like she was nuts. She just kept eating her lunch with an angry expression.

"W-What?" Ling stuttered. "I-I... I don't like Lan Fan! She's my oldest friend..." I really wanted to slap that poor fellow because of the look on Lan Fan's face. But she didn't say anything; she just stood up and sprinted out of the cafeteria. Ling's face went pale. "Wait! Lan Fan!" He got up and sprinted after her, looking panicked.

"What the crap, Winry?" I demanded, giving her a glare.

"Yeah, seriously, why did you do that?" Al gave her his best glare. It didn't really look threatening at all, but I wasn't going to ruin that for my brother.

Winry glared back at us. "He shouldn't be so dumb! Guys are just retarded."

"Um. Excuse me." Al gave her a funny look. "You weren't nearly this cranky this morning."

"Or last night." I mumbled, eating some pudding from my tray.

Winry's head whipped up to glare at me. "I told you that didn't mean _anything!_" she screeched. Al looked thoroughly confused before she turned to him and said, "I was _dumped._ No one has ever dumped _me!_ I am supposed to be the _dumper, _not the _dumpee!"__  
_

Al gave her a leveled look. "That gives you no reason to do that to our friends."

"I can't help that-"

"You could have just let them figure it all out on their own! Instead of not only ruining their friendship but also probably any chance they had of a relationship!" I butted in, a little rudely. "You call _me _the jerk, but look at the way you act! People aren't your dolls-you can't control them anyway you like Winry! It's time to grow up and realize that." I shook my head. This was too much.

Winry gave me the same look Ling gave her a moment ago. Then I saw tears swell up in her eyes, and she got up and sprinted out of the room in the opposite direction of Ling and Lan Fan.

Al looked at me and sighed. "This is a mess."

"Yeah." I muttered. "Who do you want to go after?"

"I don't think you should go talk to Winry." Al said. "She won't talk to you."

"I doubt she'll talk to you, either." I argued. "Go after Ling and Lan Fan. I can make her talk to me."

Al gave me a doubtful glance, but he nodded. Then he got up and walked out after Ling and Lan Fan. I sighed, and started out after Winry.

* * *

I heard sniffing when I passed the chemistry lab. Of course, it would be the only empty classroom, and Winry was an office assistant. She probably had a key for it.

I didn't bother knocking.

Winry threw something at me the moment I walked through the door, but I ducked quickly. "Well, thanks for the welcoming."

"Go away!" Winry sobbed. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Winry." I rolled my eyes. "What are you crying for? Why would you even care what a guy thinks about you? You never have before. So he dumped you-"

"It wasn't about him."

I looked at her, confused. "Then what are you crying for?" I demanded.

"Why did you _leave?"_

"I'm right here-"

"Why did you leave me and Al? We were hurting too! We needed you..." Winry slapped my arm. "Moron! We needed you... You were the _oldest__! _I could have helped you... I helped Al! I could have helped you, too!"

I was quiet.

That's what all this was about.

Then why was she okay this morning?

The only conclusion I had was that being dumped made her think about the way I left her and Al.

Awkwardly, I put an arm around her shoulder. "Can't you just let me fix it now?"

Winry shook her head. She was trying to slap me away, but I held firm. "Obviously you want me around." I said. "Just let me try, you stubborn little..."

"I'm not little!" Winry muttered. "You're little!"

"I'm a little taller than you now, Winry." I rolled my eyes. "Can't you give me a chance?"

Winry didn't say anything, but I thought I felt her nod her head.

"Good." I murmured. "Come on, let's get out of here." I stood up, offering her my hand and smiling.

"And go where? We have class soon..."

"Who said anything about going back to class?" I laughed. "Live a little, Winry."

"I can't just skip class-"

"Sure you can!" I gave her a grin. "I have to start making things up to you, don't I?"

Winry looked up at me. Her blue eyes were red and blotchy, and her make up was a little messed up now. Her blonde hair stayed perfect, though. As always. I smiled a little at the thought of it. Then I watched her reach out and take my hand. She gave me a small smile. "Lead the way, Pipsquea-I mean, Ed."

Ed.

I smiled.

I could get used to her saying that.


End file.
